


You Win

by alizaporter



Category: Brooklyn Nine-Nine (TV)
Genre: Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Grief/Mourning, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Wuntch did not write this beyond the grave, a little bit of angst but it's not super intense, she wrote it before she died
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-27
Updated: 2020-06-27
Packaged: 2021-03-04 05:16:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 980
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24938155
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/alizaporter/pseuds/alizaporter
Summary: Two months after Wuntch's death, her estate sends Raymond a package.
Relationships: Kevin Cozner/Ray Holt, Ray Holt & Madeline Wuntch
Comments: 7
Kudos: 61





	You Win

Two months after Madeline Wuntch’s death, Raymond received a package in the mail. When he saw that it was addressed from the estate of Madeline Wuntch, he was tempted to perform cleansing rituals onto it, douse it in holy water, or bury it six feet under, despite not being religious. For another week, the package sat on the sitting room coffee table, taunting him every time he walked by. When receiving mail he preferred to open it immediately, and file it away. But with this bulging, brown envelope, he could not bring himself to open it.

Kevin, being just as much as a cleanliness advocate as he was, wanted Raymond to deal with the contents and move on. Kevin hadn’t been the one in the decades-long feud with the sewer witch. But he had sat patiently as Raymond went on and on, retelling the stories of Madeline’s disgusting behaviors. Conversations over dinner and late night dramatic retellings had been a constant until the day Raymond came home from Wuntch’s memorial service, his stoic facial expression fractionally more down-turned than usual.

Kevin noticed right away. Just the evening before he had pulled their best bottle of wine from the cabinet and allowed a special indulgence; an expensive charcuterie board. Raymond had wanted to blow up balloons to make an arch in their living room but Kevin put his foot down there. His husband was giddy at the death of a woman, but after all of the torment he had been through at her hands, he didn’t try and slow it down. Despite the reason behind it, he loved seeing his husband smile, laugh, and even sway side to side in the kitchen as they played their favorite classical music. But the night after, he seemed sincerely sad over Wuntch’s death. So like any good spouse, he comforted his husband.

They had a range of distracting documentaries, food, and alcohol specifically for grief. Raymond’s favorite finger foods (carrots and grapes) as well as a bottle of top shelf whiskey. At the end of a fascinating period piece, Raymond repeated the lines he spoke at Madeline’s memorial.

“Our relationship was like an epic chess match, and it’s hard to believe that she’ll never make another move.”

Kevin put his hand on Raymond’s back.

“You’ve known Wuntch longer than you’ve known me. Despite the nature of your relationship, it is acceptable to feel grief at that loss. She was a constant in your life.”

“That is correct. I was overjoyed when I first heard but she was incredibly young, and despite her many setbacks, a pioneer for women in the NYPD. I apologize for indulging in a metaphor, please keep in mind I am grieving. I feel as if I have lost a piece of myself.”  
“That is natural and acceptable. The former head of the classics department was my mentor in my early days as a professor. I did not enjoy his company, but he challenged me constantly. He made me more intelligent by making me consistently work to rise to his level. When he passed, I was relieved to rise to his position, but I missed him.”

For Raymond and Kevin, that moment was enough. The next day, the grapes and the whiskey were gone. Madeline was dead, and Raymond Holt quickly moved on from his rival’s death.

Until the obscene package arrived at their front door.

Late one night, Kevin awoke in his sleep to find the spot next to him empty. He carefully tread down the stairs, following the light of a single lamp lit in the sitting room. Raymond sat on the couch, leaning forward slightly. The package was in front of him, unopened. 

“How long have you been here?”

“I have not checked the time.”

Kevin sat next to his husband. He could see the dark circles under his eyes from many late nights, the tensing of his shoulders, the stance of his slippered feet on the carpet. He grabbed the package, breaking Raymond’s eye contact with it. He had never approved of opening other’s mail, not even his husbands. It sat on his lap, and Kevin asked permission.

“May I open it for you?”

Raymond tilted his head ever so slightly. A tired nod. Kevin tore gently at the seam and ripped off the top, pulling out an object wrapped in newspaper. A small photograph hit the table, face down. Kevin unwrapped the object. It was a stapler. An older one, of low quality and many years of use. Due to his extensive knowledge of the history of office supplies, he knew it was manufactured in the late 1970’s. A faded number in ink was written on the top- the number of Raymond’s former precinct, back in his detective years with Wuntch. He held out the stapler to Raymond, who managed to grasp it.

“We fought over this stapler constantly. One day, it disappeared, I knew she had ruthlessly stolen it. This was the first of our battles. The first one that she won.”

The dramatic statement was lost on Kevin, who was currently looking at the photograph. A young Wuntch and Raymond, several years before he met him. A grainy photo, but clearly taken when they were still friends. Arms slung around one another, before they stood stiff and formal, they were young, new detectives. Kevin held a slight smile. He flipped over the back, eyes darting over the four words.

Raymond,

You win.

Madeline

Raymond took the photograph and examined it. His eyes were slightly wider, slightly watery, but his tears stayed in his eyes. He leaned gently against Kevin.

“We should get a double sided frame. I can flip it to the words when guests are over. Then they’ll know who truly bested Madeline Wuntch.”

Kevin took Raymond’s hand and gently pulled him up with a chuckle.

“Come on, let’s go back to bed.”


End file.
